Meet the Barcelona International Community Day 2021 host ambassadors

Barcelona International Community Day is back with more enthusiasm than ever. The 7th edition will take place on Saturday 23 October at the Maritime Museum. The day, promoted by Barcelona City Council, aims to contribute to making the city more open and welcoming. It is aimed at members of Barcelona’s international community and anyone who wants to connect with this group that brings diversity and richness to the city.

The event will feature a programme of activities to facilitate their integration through information, services and networking opportunities. The host ambassadors of the meeting will participate in these activities to inspire the community and share experiences, knowledge and personal projects.

6 expert voices

Born and raised in Morocco, Othmane Mouhssine arrived in Barcelona with his family four years ago, after studying in France and accumulating 14 years of professional experience. Passionate about sport, he took a Master’s degree in Sports Management and Legal Skills and started a new project in the sports industry. He is currently partner and ambassador of the Digi-Sports Group in Spain. He has collaborated with RCD Espanyol, is an active member of FC Barcelona and a registered beach tennis player.

Swedish Jessika Klingspor fell in love with Barcelona in the 1990s. After her third visit, while returning to Stockholm, she decided to change jobs and start from scratch in Barcelona. She has lived here since 2001, promoting projects in the tourism and creative events sector, and connecting Nordic innovation with Barcelona’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. She is founder and CEO of Nordics in Barcelona, founder and director of Performance Prime Cities and co-founder of TheMuroLab.

From the United States comes the multi-talented Sam Zucker. He is a photographer specialising in food and lifestyle, but also a writer, filmmaker, chef and travel guide. He arrived in Barcelona as a teacher-chef on a luxury cruise ship from Miami, where he taught tourists how to cook. He had planned to stay in the city for a few months, but eight years have passed since then, and he has no plans to leave. In Barcelona, he has done a wide range of work related to social networks, tourism, gastronomy and video production, among others.

Oxana Lapuzina was born in Kazakhstan, but her family moved to Moscow in 2001. There she graduated in economics and worked in private banking. Sentimental reasons brought her to Spain in 2016. She first settled in Menorca and then in Barcelona, where she started in the human resources sector. She is currently an employee experience specialist at Preply. She is passionate about the arts and the MNAC is her favourite museum.

The passion for wines brought Chinese Lia Wei to Barcelona. A lover of cultures, especially Hispanic culture, she discovered the world of oenology through a winemaker from Navarre whom she met in Chengdu. After training as a sommelier in Chile, she came to Barcelona to study for a master’s degree and a doctorate. She is currently a spokesperson for the rural areas of Priorat and Ribeira Sacra for Chinese tourist groups. She is also an active member of the Association of Chinese Women Entrepreneurs in Spain.

Gabriele Palma has more than 25 years of professional experience in marketing and general management. Originally from Italy, he moved to Barcelona in 2012. After visiting the city several times, joining the SEAT Group as Marketing Director gave him the opportunity to establish himself permanently. He now heads CASA SEAT, the urban mobility hub, where he can combine passions such as architecture, music and design, blending culture and mobility.

All of them will be part of the event, as part of the programme of activities that you can consult on the Barcelona International Community Day website. Find out the latest news on our social networks and by subscribing to our monthly newsletter of the international community.